To what should have come to no surprise to all fans, the Pelicans lost their 2017 first round pick, as it didn’t land inside the top three last night. The odds were against them, and even though it is fun to dream, the Pelicans effectively made their draft pick in February, when they got DeMarcus Cousins — a player who will be better than everybody in the 2017 draft for at least the next two or three years, and maybe well beyond that.
So now, the Pelicans turn their attention to trades and free agency. Oh, and the 40th pick of this draft.